COLOSS,

Insttute of Bee Health,

Vetsuisse Faculty,
University of Bern,
Schwarzenburgstrasse 161
3003 Bern, Switzerland.
www.coloss.org
PRESS RELEASE
from COLOSS

[Immediate: 18/7/14]
Losses of honey bee colonies over the 2013/14 winter
Preliminary results from an internatonal study
The honey bee protecton network COLOSS
1
has today announced the preliminary results of
an internatonal study to investgate honey bee winter colony losses. Data were collected
from Israel and Algeria and 19 European countries. In total 17,135 respondents provided
overwintering mortality and other data of their honey bee colonies. Collectvely, all
responding beekeepers managed more than 376,754 colonies. A preliminary analysis of the
data show that the mortality rate over the 2013-14 winter varied between countries, ranging
from 6% in Norway to 14 % in Portugal, and there were also marked regional diferences
within most countries. The overall proporton of colonies lost was 9 %, the lowest since the
internatonal working group started collectng data in 2007.

These fgures compare with losses over the same period of 7.85% in England and Wales (provided by the UK
Food and Environment Research Agency: see atached spreadsheet for details). Losses of colonies in the USA
between Oct 1 2013 and April 1 2014 were also substantally lower.

The protocol used to collect this COLOSS data has been internatonally standardized
2,3
to allow comparisons
and joint analysis of the data. A more detailed analysis of risk factors calculated from the whole dataset , as
well as further colony loss data from other countries, will be published later in the year.

Co-ordinator of the COLOSS Monitoring and Diagnosis Working Group Dr Rome van der Zee from the Dutch
Centre for Bee Research says: The contributon of many factors which are correlated to colony losses seem
to be very dependent on weather conditons. Colonies built their brood nests late because of the relatvely
cold spring in 2013. This may have decreased the number of reproductve cycles of the parasitc varroa mite,
producing fewer mites. Good weather in the summer then provided excellent foraging opportunites.

[Ends]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Romee van der Zee. Tel: +31 515521107 / +31 615525784 Email: romee.van.der.zee@beemonitoring.org

NOTES FOR EDITORS:-

1. COLOSS is a honey bee research associaton formerly funded by the European Union COST Programme
(Acton FA0803) and currently by the Ricola Foundaton Nature & Culture, which aims to explain and
prevent massive honey bee colony losses. COLOSS does not directly support science, but aims to
coordinate internatonal research actvites across Europe and worldwide, promotng cooperatve
approaches and a research programme with a strong focus on the transfer of science into beekeeping
practce. COLOSS has more than 300 members drawn from 63 countries worldwide. Its President is Prof.
Peter Neumann of the University of Bern, Switzerland. Website htp://www.coloss.org/

2. Standard protcols are available in The COLOSS BEEBOOK . Volumes 1 and 2 are available online at:-
htp://www.ibra.org.uk/artcles/The-COLOSS-BEEBOOK

3. The COLOSS BEEBOOK Volumes 1 and 2 are available as hard copies from:-
htp://ibrastore.org.uk/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_descripton=1&keyword=beebook

4. Informaton on US honey bee colony losses over the 2013-14 winter from the Bee Informed
Partnership is available at:-
htp://beeinformed.org/2014/06/state-by-state-colony-loss-2013-2014/

5. Informaton on UK honey bee colony losses over the 2013-14 winter from the Britsh Beekeepers
Associaton is available at:-
htp://www.bbka.org.uk/news_and_events/honey_bee_colony_winter_survival_rate_greatly_improves






COLOSS, Insttute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Schwarzenburgstrasse 161,
3003 Bern, Switzerland. Tel: +41 (0) 31 323 8227 Email: coloss.network@gmail.com
Countries providing raw data Losses
95%
confidence
interval
95%
confidence
interval
No. of
colonies
No. of
colonies lost
No. of
beekeepers
Estimated
no. of
beekeepers
2013 Contact person for the country Contact personsmail Contact personsInstitute/organisation
Algeria 7.5% 6.8% 8.3% 18955 1423 170 19500 Noureddine Adjlane adjlanenoureddine@hotmail.com University of Boumerdes
Austria 12.8% 11.9% 13.8% 18739 2402 1014 25207 Robert Brodschneider robert.brodschneider@uni-graz.at University of Graz
Croatia 7.7% 7.2% 8.3% 38164 2953 523 12000
Maja Drazic (continental part)
Janja Filipi(mediterranean part)
mdrazic@hpa.hr; jfilipi@unizd.hr Croatian Agricultural Agency; University of Zadar
Czech Republic 6.6% 5.7% 7.6% 10458 686 566 47000 Ji Danihlk j.danihlik@gmail.com Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Beekeepers Association
Denmark 7.1% 6.3% 7.9% 17623 1247 1343 5500 Flemming Vejsns fv@biavl.dk Danish Beekeepers Association
Estonia 11.2% 9.1% 13.8% 2993 336 110 5934 Aivar Raudmets mesindusprogramm@gmail.com Estonian Beekeepers Association
Finland 7.0% 6.1% 7.9% 12940 902 371 2600 Ari Seppala ari.seppala@hunaja.net Finish Beekeepers Association
Germany 8.0% 7.7% 8.4% 75466 6068 5739 100000 Christoph Otten Christoph.Otten@dlr.rlp.de Fachzentrum Bienen und Imkerei Mayen
Ireland 13.3% 11.3% 15.6% 3962 528 343 2600 Mary Frances Coffey Mary.Frances.Coffey@ul.ie University of Limerick
Israel 9.7% 9.1% 10.4% 30246 2946 44 500 Victoria Soroker sorokerv@volcani.agri.gov.il Agricultural Research Organization
Italy 7.9% 6.7% 9.2% 7512 594 112 55000 Franco Mutinelli fmutinelli@izsvenezie.it ISTITUTO ZOOPROFILATTICO SPERIMENTALE DELLE VENEZIE
Latvia 7.2% 6.4% 8.1% 15405 1110 455 4300 Valters Brusbardis valters@strops.lv Latvian Beekeepers Association
Netherlands 8.5% 7.6% 9.4% 15723 1329 1640 6500 Rome van der Zee romee.van.der.zee@beemonitoring.org Netherlands Centre for Bee Research (NCB)
Norway 6.0% 5.3% 6.8% 14498 869 533 2800 Bjrn Dahle bjorn.dahle@norbi.no Norwegian Beekeepers Association
Poland 8.4% 7.7% 9.1% 22532 1885 704 51000 Grazyna Topolska grazyna_topolska@sggw.pl Warsaw University of Life Sciences
Portugal 14.1% 13.0% 15.3% 15056 2128 84 17000 maria jos valrio silva mjose.valerio@iniav.pt instituto nacional de investigao agrria e veterinria
Slovakia 8.8% 7.5% 10.4% 6266 554 224 16300 Robert Chlebo robert.chlebo@uniag.sk Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra
Spain 11.9% 10.8% 13.1% 12543 1490 108 24866 Raquel Martn Hernndez rmhernandez@jccm.es Centro Apcola de Marchamalo
Sweden 9.6% 8.8% 10.4% 20701 1984 1604 12000 Preben Kristiansen preben.kristiansen@biodlarna.se Swedish Beekeepers Association
Switzerland 11.3% 10.4% 12.3% 17265 1957 1229 17000 Jean Daniel Charrire jean-daniel.charriere@agroscope.admin.ch Agroscope, Swiss Bee Research Centre
UK (Scotland, North Ireland) 10.9% 7.7% 15.3% 1107 121 231 1300/
Alison Gray (Scotland) / Archie
Murchi (Northern Ireland)
a.j.gray@strath.ac.uk /
Archie.Murchie@afbini.gov.uk
University of Strathclyde / AFBI
UK (England and Wales)* 7.8% 6.7% 9.2% 2751 216 519 31285 Giles Budge giles.budge@fera.gsi.gov.uk National Bee Unit
* Not included in calculations because raw data were not available at the time